What is a Vagina?
Looking for vagina facts? Let us first know what a vagina is before diving into its facts. The vagina is an elastic and muscular part of a female reproductive organ. It extends from the vulva to the cervix. The hymen covers the opening of the vagina.
Similar to the penis, the vagina is a urinogenital organ. Apart from the reproductive function, it also helps in passing urine out of the body.
Like we said few days back, we don’t know much about our reproductive organs and secondary sexual organs. We talked about penis facts. Today we will learn some amazing and crazy vagina facts. Without further ado, let us begin our vagina facts. Are you ready?
Vagina Facts 1-5
1. Having a vagina doesn’t make you a woman. Any male, trans man, gender fluid, non-binary, genderqueer, or gender nonconforming can have a vagina!
2. The hymen is a thin membrane that partially covers the vagina. It was believed earlier that the presence of a hymen is the sign of virginity. However, studies found that all women are not born with a hymen. The hymen may break while playing, using tampons, or in any medical procedures.
3. The lip-like tissue present around the vulva can be as wide as two inches, or it can be just a quarter inch.
4. The acidity of your vagina is similar to that of wine. The pH of the vagina ranges from 3.8 to 4.5, and the pH of most of the wines worldwide is around 3.0 to 4.0.
5. Clitoris has 8,000 nerve endings while the penis has only 4,000 nerve endings, and hence clitoris is way more sensitive than a penis.
Vagina Facts 6-10
6. The size and shape of the vagina differ from one woman to the other. However, any vagina can double in size due to a phenomenon called tinting. The upper two-thirds of the vagina expands to help sperm move up into the cervix easily.
7. It may sound odd or gross, but your clitoris can grow! When a woman is excited, the clitoris becomes filled with blood and grows larger.
8. Thanks to the cervix, the vagina is not a bottomless pit, so you can’t lose anything in your vagina.
9. The vagina produces a variety of discharges all over the cycle. Right before ovulation, the discharge is usually thicker and creamier. During ovulation, the discharge becomes clear (the vagina produces around two teaspoons of discharge a day during ovulation).
10. It is to help sperm travel to the egg. If the discharge smells like rotten eggs or looks like cottage cheese, or if your vagina itches and burns, it is time to make an appointment with the gynecologist.
Vagina Facts 11-15
11. Having an active sex life is good for your health. It helps in reducing anxiety and stress. However, too much sex is also not good. It may leave your vagina dry and may even lead to UTI or Urinary Tract Infections.
12. The smell of your vagina differs all around the cycle. Before your periods, it smells acidic, and post your periods, it smells pungent. It smells sweaty during intercourse or after your workouts due to the discharge released during intercourse and secretion of sweat, respectively.
13. If the smell becomes too powerful, accompanied by discharge, or is unpleasant, do meet your doctor.
14. There are two types of vaginal pain. The first one is called Vaginismus – in this, the vaginal muscles contract involuntarily and are extremely painful when you have sexual intercourse or insert tampons.
The other type of vaginal pain is Vulvodynia – it is characterized by pain on the vulva, the stinging sensation, the sensitivity is so severe that direct touch is unbearable.
15. You don’t have to worry about cleaning your vagina thoroughly. It cleans itself. You have to use soap (that you use for the body) and water to clean your vulva and labial folds.
The vaginal discharge contains excess water, bacteria, and cells from the walls of the vagina. It cleans by flushing out the discharge.
Vagina Facts 16-20
16. You must have read somewhere that if you have a yeast infection, put yogurt inside your vagina to cure it. Please, don’t do it. It may create more problems. Another thing is that lactobacilli bacteria (the bacteria present in yogurt) is present in your vagina. It doesn’t need yogurt.
17. The muscles of your pelvic floor control the rectum, vagina, uterus, and urethra. After childbirth, the muscles get weak, and it may happen that you will find it difficult to hold your pee. Doing Kegels will solve the issue.
18. Lot of sexual intercourse will not stretch your vagina and make it ‘loose’! It is elastic and gets back to its normal tightness after intercourse. In the same way, if you have not had sexual intercourse, then the vagina doesn’t get tighter.
19. The walls of the vagina are pleated and can be separated and widened – much like how an umbrella opens. It spreads to two inches wide during intercourse. It spreads even further to allow the baby to pass.
20. The color of your vagina may not match with the skin color of your body. Whatever color it be, it is normal.
Vagina Facts 21-25
21. Your vagina always has some fungus. It is healthy. If it gets disrupted, you see the fungus’ overgrowth, and you may experience burning and itching.
22. Vulva consists of the urethra, clitoris, labia, and vaginal opening. The vagina is a three to six inches long muscular canal.
23. It may scare you, but over 79% of vaginal deliveries involve tearing or requiring an incision. These are all minor tears or a longer cut given by a healthcare provider if the situation is required. However, your vagina is resilient, and thanks to its rich blood supply, it heals quicker than other body parts.
24. During pregnancy, your vagina keeps releasing discharge to keep you and the baby away from infections. As the pregnancy gets further, the amount of discharge increases.
The discharge stays clear to milky colored and thin till the last week of the pregnancy. During the last week of the pregnancy, the discharge’s color changes to pink.
25. If a 2014 study is to be believed, women with smaller clitoris located far away from the vaginal opening have trouble getting orgasms.
Vagina Facts 26-30
26. Childbirth makes your vagina a little wider. However, you may make your pelvic floor muscles tighter and toned by doing Kegel exercises.
27. There is something called uterus didelphys. Women who suffer from this abnormality have two vaginal canals. Women can get pregnant, but the risk of miscarriage and preterm labor is pretty high.
28. Again, there is something called vaginal weightlifting. It is not a competition. But it is an act of inserting an ‘anchor’ into your vagina while the anchor is attached to some weight. It is a way of strengthening your pelvic floor and its muscles.
According to Kim Anami, a sex and relationship coach, stronger vaginal muscles makes sex feel better and last longer.
29. Orgasms can be either short and sweet or profound and powerful.
30. When sexually aroused, the vagina pushes the cervix and uterus deeper into the body, and it gets deeper to allow penetration. It also gets darker in color because when aroused, blood rushes to the vagina and vulva.
Vagina Facts 31-35
31. Squalene is a compound present in the lubrication or discharge produced by your vagina. Surprisingly, squalene is also produced by the livers of sharks! Squalene is also used to make sunscreens, hair products, and moisturizing lotions.
32. Just like the penis, your clitoris is present inside the body as well. Around four-fifths of the clitoris is present inside the body encircling the vagina. If you measure the total length of the clitoris, it is around 3.5 inches.
33. The smell of the vagina depends on the women’s hygiene, diet, the fabric she wears, gland secretions, and the bacteria present in her vagina. The smell may even change after your workout and even during your periods.
34. According to a study conducted in 2017, many women need clitoris stimulation to achieve orgasm during sexual intercourse.
35. Your pubic hair protects your genital organs from getting infected. It also acts as a buffer against friction. Pubic hair is different in different women.
It can grow on your inner thighs, on your lower abdomen, or only your vulva. The hair may be thin, thick, curly, straight, or coarse. The pubic hair color also varies, and they will go grey!
Vagina Facts 36-40
36. Your vagina rests in your body at an angle of 130 degrees! Bumps or pimples or cysts are normal on your vagina, but if the bump or cysts don’t go away in few days, and/or if it is burning or itching, it is better to consult a doctor.
37. When air enters your vagina, it expels out the air. This vaginal ‘fart’ is called ‘queef’ and ‘vart.’ It doesn’t smell and is unrelated to the rectum (unless the woman has a rectovaginal fistula).
38. The first one to two inches of the vagina has the most nerve endings.
39. The speculum (a device used by doctors to open and observe the body’s orifices) was used back in 1300 BCE. It was found in the ruins of the city, Pompei.
40. ‘The Story of Menstruation’ is the first movie that used the word vagina. The film was released in 1946, and it was a Disney movie.
Vagina Facts 41-45
41. A patient was worried that there was something in her vagina. She used her hands to find but in vain. She then did the unbelievable.
She inserted pliers and pulled on the cervix, eventually tearing it apart! She then had to undergo hours of surgery to repair.
According to gynecologists, if you think there is something in your vagina, then apply some olive oil or K-Y jelly to your fingers and then insert them inside till you can reach the cervix.
If you or your partner can’t find anything, then most probably there’s nothing there. If you are still unsure, then go to a gynecologist.
42. Anna Swann was supposed to have the largest vagina. She was 7 feet and five inches tall, and her weight was 350 pounds! She gave birth to a 23-pound baby whose head was 19 inches wide!
43. In the novel, The Haunted Vagina (2006), a woman’s vagina was shown as the gateway to the world of the damned.
44. A patient went to a gynecologist complaining of itching, burning, and feeling of something moving inside her vagina.
Upon examination, it was revealed that two to three live maggots were present in the vagina.
The doctors cleaned the vagina, gave worming pills, and asked the woman not to put any eatables inside the vagina. Doctors didn’t know how maggots got into the vagina.
45. A woman had two vaginas and two cervixes. She went to the hospital for labor. One cervix was completely closed, and the other cervix was eight centimeters dilated.
She never had any prenatal care, but her husband told her multiple times that he felt like having sex with two women while having sex with her.
Vagina Facts 46-50
46. A woman used her vagina as a purse. She would stuff lipstick, a bag of pills, and a wad of pills in a plastic bag in her vagina! She later admitted that she was sexually abused when she was eight years old.
47. The vagina releases three-fourths of a teaspoon of discharge the whole day. Most of the discharge is seen at the time of ovulation.
The discharge contains fluids of the vaginal walls, tubal and uterine fluid, mucus of the cervix, and secretion of the glands present in the vulva, sweat and oil from the glands of the vulva, and healthy bacteria.
48. The four body parts that can get saggy are breasts, vaginas, knees, and bottoms. Hormonal changes, age, childbirth, pregnancy, gravity, and genetics all cause sagging.
The good news is you can avoid and/or get your vagina back in toned form by performing Kegel exercises, avoiding constipation, not smoking, and maintaining a regular weight.
49. A woman went to the gynecologist complaining that vines were coming out of her vagina. Upon examination, the doctor saw that indeed the vines were coming out.
The doctor removed the object that was producing vines – the potato. The woman told the doctor that her mother told her to insert the potato into her vagina to avoid pregnancy.
50. There is a condition called human seminal plasma protein hypersensitivity. It is a rare condition that makes women allergic to the proteins present in the semen.
Most of the cases involve only itching and swelling after sex, but in a few rare cases, it can be life-threatening. According to research, some women are allergic to certain men and not to other men.
Vagina Facts 51-55
51. This fact has to be one of the weirdest vagina facts. A 27-year-old woman was arrested in 2011 for possessing 54 bags of heroin. She hid them in her vagina.
52. There are few companies that sell heavy metal balls like Ben Wa Ball that are helpful in tightening the muscles of the vagina. It needs to be carried around in the vagina.
53. There is a condition called pelvic prolapse. It is a condition where your vagina literally falls off and hangs between your legs! Fortunately, it can be fixed.
54. Vagina dentate is a term used for the vaginas that have teeth. In some cultures, folklores talk about some women have a toothed vagina that can bite off the penis.
Usually, the stories are told to keep sexual behaviors in check. But, on very rare occasions, dermoid cysts (cysts that contain teeth, hair, skin, thyroid, and brain) may migrate to the vagina and actually cause vagina dentata.
55. In few cultures, the genital mutilation of girls takes place. If you are wondering what is done in that, then here it is for you. The clitoris, labia are cut off and removed.
The vagina is sewn closed, leaving a tiny hole for releasing discharge. It is done to discourage sexual desire and to ensure virginity.
Vagina Facts 56-60
56. Did you know that the hymen is named after the Greek goddess of marriage called Hymen?
57. Self-pleasure is good for women too. It helps in reducing stress and is a mood booster. But women should stick to fingers and other toys and not put any eatable items like bananas in their vaginas.
58. You can make your vagina smell better by following some simple tips like removing pubic hair, wiping the area with baby wipes, drinking cranberry juice, going panty free, taking probiotics to keep the vaginal flora healthy, avoiding wearing tight clothes, eating a vegetable-based diet, avoiding coffee, alcohol, asparagus, onions, garlic, etc.
59. In around 1 in 2000 births, a girl is born with a condition called imperforate hymen where there is no hole in the hymen to allow discharge or menses to pass through.
In 5000 to 7000, female baby births, one is born without a vagina. The condition is called vaginal agenesis. It is diagnosed at birth, but mostly it is not discovered before puberty.
60. In the year 2009, a healthy kidney (chosen for the transplant) was removed from the donor’s body via her vagina at John Hopkins Medical Center.
This kind of surgery is less invasive. The traditional method would have required a 5-6 inch incision in the abdominal wall.
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